INCLUSION INTERNATIONAL

10/03/2026

People with intellectual disabilities and our families are among the most overlooked in the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

When people are forced to leave their homes and services shut down, we are hit hardest. Yet our experiences are too often ignored by humanitarian organisations.

We have the right to be safe in a crisis. We are calling on governments and aid organisations to make sure their response includes us.

Read our Statement of Solidarity:

The humanitarian crisis in the Middle East is getting worse, and persons with intellectual disabilities and their families are struggling. In conflicts and emergency situations, persons with intellectual disabilities are at a higher risk of danger and exclusion.  In the Middle East, many people are...

28/02/2026

Our blog highlights powerful voices from the World Congress on why inclusive education for children with disabilities must continue during crises.

Featuring work supported by the International Disability Alliance and funded by Education Cannot Wait.

👉 https://lnkd.in/e_ZEYa9v

27/02/2026

Children with disabilities are often excluded from education during crises because Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) are rarely engaged as partners.

Funded by Education Cannot Wait, our new interactive Learning Tool for OPDs changes this by helping disability advocates apply their expertise to humanitarian settings.

This resource supports OPDs to identify implementation gaps and advise on building equitable education systems for all children.

🔗 Access here: https://inclusion-international.org/resource/inclusive-eie-tool/

27/02/2026

"Inclusion starts at home and continues at school." — Caregiver, Choco, Colombia

In Colombia and Niger, children with disabilities are too often left out of the classroom during crises. With funding from Education Cannot Wait, Inclusion International and the International Disability Alliance are breaking down these barriers.

Our Impact:
✅ Training teachers on inclusive classroom practices.
✅ Partnering with OPDs to lead humanitarian efforts.
✅ Developing tools to ensure every child can access education.

23/02/2026

"When we don’t know, families feel that we are the problem and that we have to solve it ourselves.” – Maleni, mother from Tumaco, Nariño

During the Inclusive Education in Emergencies workshops in Colombia, parents and community leaders shared the challenges children with disabilities face: unsafe journeys to school, lack of teacher support, and segregated classrooms.

Through this project, we are working with the International Disability Alliance and our members in Colombia and Niger to make sure children with disabilities are not left out of education during crises.

With support from Education Cannot Wait, families, OPDs, and humanitarian organisations are building advocacy skills, sharing knowledge, and co-creating action plans for inclusive schools - even in emergencies.

18/02/2026

What happens when we listen to people with intellectual disabilities?

Mark Mapemba, our Self-Advocacy Coordinator, worked with the International Rescue Committee in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia. He supported a project to include adolescent girls with intellectual disabilities in humanitarian work.

Mark and other self-advocates led the project from the start. They used the Listen Include Respect guidelines to make sure the work was accessible.

Because self-advocates were in charge, the project saved time and money. It also meant girls who are often ignored could finally share their ideas.

We want more organisations to work with self-advocates as equal partners. Using these guidelines helps everyone see what works for inclusion.

Read Mark's full story on Bond:

Mark Mapemba, Self-Advocacy Coordinator at Inclusion International, on why development organisations should work with disability organisations as equal partners from the start of projects if they want them to be truly inclusive.

11/02/2026

We support the International Disability Alliance in their call for accessibility at the United Nations.

Right now, the UN does not have enough money to pay for sign language or captions at upcoming meetings.

This means many people with disabilities, including people with intellectual disabilities, will be left out of the conversation. Accessibility is a requirement, not an extra.

We work with the International Disability Alliance to tell the United Nations that this is wrong. Member states must pay for these services so our voices are heard.

We stand with our partners to make sure these meetings work for everyone.

Status update on accessibility services for the upcoming Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Human Rights Council

Following our public statement last week on the impact of funding shortfalls on access to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), IDA has sought direct engagement with senior United Nations authorities responsible for human rights and conference management.

In this context, IDA has formally requested prompt intervention and the exploration of solutions to ensure that the minimum accessibility conditions required for the upcoming 34th session of the Committee and for disability-related panels during the 61st session of the Human Rights Council are confirmed in a timely manner.

During an organisational meeting of the 61st session of the Human Rights Council on 9 February, a representative of the UN Office at Geneva’s Division of Conference Management reaffirmed the cash-conservation measures currently in place and reported that no additional funding has been received from Member States. As a result, accessibility services, including international sign interpretation and captioning, remain unconfirmed for the forthcoming CRPD Committee session and related Human Rights Council panels.

Several States, including , , , and , expressed concern at the meeting and sought clarification. Finland emphasised that budgetary measures should not have a disproportionate negative impact on persons with disabilities and experts with disabilities, while Spain stated that the exclusion of persons with disabilities is unacceptable.

While discussions between relevant parties are ongoing, IDA and the wider disability community continue to expect that the necessary accessibility services will be confirmed in time for the forthcoming sessions. Guaranteeing accessibility is essential to the effective functioning of the CRPD Committee and to the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in Human Rights Council processes.

IDA therefore reiterates its call on States Parties to fulfil their funding obligations and on the relevant UN offices to take the necessary steps to confirm and promptly communicate the availability of accessibility services. Accessibility and reasonable accommodation are not optional measures but binding obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and essential components of the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy.

World Federation of the Deaf Youth Section World Federation of the Deaf Ry World Federation of the Deafblind ASEAN Disability Forum RIADIS World Blind Union Pacific Disability Forum World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry European Disability Forum International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus African Disability Forum - ADF Federation of Hard of Hearing People United Nations Human Rights INCLUSION INTERNATIONAL

09/02/2026

🚀 The Inclusion International Learning Platform is now live!

Our new platform is a space where self-advocates, families, and member organisations can explore resources, access tools, and share experiences from across our global network.

Membership opens the door to this and other shared learning opportunities.

Learn more:

We have launched the Inclusion International Learning Platform! This new platform is an online space where our members can learn together and share what works. It brings together the knowledge, experience, and ideas that already exist across our network. Now, they are in one place. Why shared learni...

03/02/2026

Happening tomorrow! Join our webinar explaining the 2026 CRPD Committee elections.

On Thursday 5 February at 2.00pm UK time, we are hosting a webinar for our members and self-advocates.

We will explain how the CRPD Committee elections work, who the candidates are, and what current UN challenges mean for the Committee’s future.

We will also talk about what this means for future elections and what self-advocates need to know if they want to apply.

This session is for self-advocates, families, and organisations of people with intellectual disabilities.

We will talk about:
• how the election process works
• who the candidates are
• how UN funding challenges affect the Committee
• what this means for future elections

Register here:

Every two years, States Parties elect members to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In 2026, nine committee members will be elected or re-elected for the 2027 to 2030 term. In December 2025, the CRPD Committee Secretariat asked States Parties to nominate candidates. The deadli...

30/01/2026

Our blog highlights powerful voices from the World Congress on why inclusive education for children with disabilities must continue during crises.

Featuring work supported by International Disability Alliance & Education Cannot Wait

👉 https://inclusion-international.org/news-item/making-sure-inclusive-education-for-people-with-disabilities-happens-during-crises/

23/01/2026

📚 We’re working with the International Disability Alliance and Education Cannot Wait, alongside our members in Niger & Colombia to make sure children with disabilities are not left out of education in emergencies.

Every child has the right to learn, even in crisis.

You can learn all about the project below:

Inclusion International is working with the International Disability Alliance and our members in Colombia and Niger to make sure children with disabilities are not left out of education in emergencies. This work is funded by Education Cannot Wait (ECW)’s Acceleration Facility, a funding pool desi...

22/01/2026

“Inclusion is not an add-on—it must be the backbone of every education response in emergencies.”
– Asma Maladwala, UNICEF

With Education Cannot Wait and the International Disability Alliance, we launched a tool that helps make this real in crisis settings.

Use it now:

Read this article in español or français. On April 30th, Inclusion International, the International Disability Alliance, ASDOWN Colombia, and FNPH Niger held a webinar to launch the pilot of the Unlocking Inclusive Education in Emergencies learning tool. This practical resource is designed to supp...